Needle board



Jan. 28, P930. I Q COSTNER 1,745,294

' NEEDLE BOARD Filed Dec, 9,, 1927 yyyyy Fig.1.

Jolm fiew/ andaasffler INVENTOR Y W v wrmsss: %%W ATTORNEY Patented Jan. 28, 1930 UNITED STATES JOHN C. COSTNER, OF LOWELL, NORTH CAROLINA NEEDLE BOAR-D Application filed December 9, 1927. Serial No. 238,954.

This invention has particular relation to a needle board adapted for use upon looms to retract needles to normally inoperative positions, which are not used with a particular pattern but which are compressed against the pattern cylinder to cause the hooks to be moved free from the path of movement of the griff blades whereby the usual necessity of stopping the loom to release needles, having become gummed within the openings in needle boards, is overcome.

An object of the invention contemplates a plate member disposed in the path of movement of the free ends of the needles and adapted to give under pressure whereby the needles will be retracted to normal positions and to relieve gumming within needle boards.

A further object of the invention embodies an operating shaft adapted to be shifted to occupy a neutral position when the needles are operated to occupy positions in juxtaposition to the pattern cylinder whereby the normal functions of the needles will be unaffected by the presence of the invention and which is only operated under adverse conditions, that is when the needles have become gummed within the needle board.

Vith the above and other objects in View, the invention further consists of the following novel features and details of construction,

to be hereinafter more fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawing and pointed out in the appended claim.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary diagrammatic plan View of a jacquard machine with the invention applied for use in conjunction therewith.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary elevation of the invention per se.

Referring to the drawing in detail, wherein like characters of reference denote corresponding parts, letters of reference denote portions of a jacquard machine employed for purposes of illustration only to bring about an understanding of the operation of the invention as used in conjunction therewith.

The reference character 10 indicates a pattern cylinder located immediately adjacent the ends of needles 11 projected through a needle board 12 upstanding from a bottom leg 18. The needles being provided with loops 14 formed at appropriate points in the lengths thereof and which are adapted to receive therethrough the shanks of hooks 15 which have the hook portions thereof normally located imemdiately above griff blades 16. The opposed ends of the needles 11 are pro jected in a like manner through a needle heel board 17. Springs 18' encircling the needles 11 have opposed end convolutions thereof engaging stop collars 19 carried by the needles and the adjacent faces of the needle heel board 17, whereby said needles will be normally shifted and tensioned to occupy the positions as illustrated in Figure 1 of the drawing. The needles frequently become gummed within the openings provided in the needle boards having holes drilled therefor, such arrangement deos not permit the hooks 15 to be released to occupy their proper positions for synchronization with that of the pattern.

The invention comprehends a plate member 18 disposed in parallelism with that of the needle heel board 17. Bolt members 19 carried by the needle heel board 17 are extended through the plate member 18 and adjacent the ends thereof. Compression springs 20 encircling the bolt members 19' between the outer sides of the plate member 18 and nuts 21 or heads therefor are adapted to normally inwardly tension the needles 11 toward the pattern cylinder 10.

To obviate bending and binding of the needles when shifted in juxtaposition to the 8:; pattern cylinder against the tension of the springs 18, I provide a rod member 22 fixed to an intermediate point in the length of the plate member 18 and extended transversely thereof through the needle heel board 17 and 90 needle board 12. A shoe 23 carried upon the outermost end of the rod member 22 is adapted to engage the pattern cylinder 10 precedent to the engagement of the needles therewith, whereby no inward force, on the part of 95 the plate member 18, will in any way induce further shifting movement of the needles.

The invention is primarily adapted to prevent needle skips, reduce seconds for the man ufacturer, and increases production by not lQu having to stop the loom for cleaning the needle board to obviate gumming of the needles Within the needle board and needle heel board.

5 Although I have shown and described my invention as being primarily adapted for use in conjunction with jacquard machines or looms it is to be understood that I do not limit myself to the embodiment of the invention of the particular type of the machine or loom, but that the same may be equally and etl'ectually as well applied to other types of looms of the character described.

The invention is susceptible of various changes in the form proportions and minor details of construction, and the right is herein reserved to make such changes as properly fall within the scope of the appended claim.

Having described the invention, what is go claimed 15:

A needle board for use upon looms comprising a plate member located in juxtaposition to and abutting the adjacent ends of the needles therefor, bolt members carried by the g3 loom being extended in parallelism and horizontally through the ends of the plate, compression springs encircling the bolt members and engaging the outer sides of the plate to inwardly tension the same toward the needle ends oppositely disposed to the pattern cylinder, a rod member carried by the plate member being extended through the loom needle boards, and a shoe carried upon the free end of the rod member to engage the loom pattern 3 cylinder centrally thereof.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

JOHN C. COSTNER. 

